Retail sales reported the sharpest fall on record last month as clothing sales plunged by a third, according to new figures.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said total sales volumes dived 5.1% as many stores shut their doors in the face of the coronavirus.
It added that clothing store sales saw a particularly sharp fall when compared with February, moving 34.8% lower.
Meanwhile, food stores reported their strongest growth on record in March, as sales jumped 10.4% with shoppers stocking up on essential groceries.
Supermarkets saw sales volumes increase by 10.3% while alcohol-focused stores saw a 31.4% surge in volumes.
Meanwhile, the ONS said the total value of online food sales in March was more than double the same month last year, rising by 101%.
Rhian Murphy, head of retail sales at the ONS, said: “Retail sales saw their biggest monthly fall since records began over 30 years ago with large declines in clothing and fuel, only partially offset by strong food sales.
“Online-only retailers saw strong growth though, with many high street stores also unsurprisingly seeing a boost to web sales.”
Total sales declined as increases in online sales failed to offset lower in-store sales, after non-essential stores were told to close their doors on March 23.
It said a record high of 22.3% of sales were made online as delivery operations continued.
Ayush Ansal, chief investment officer at Crimson Black Capital, said: “This is retail Armageddon.
“While the January retail sales data showed signs of the Boris Bounce, the March data reflected the Covid-19 collapse.
“Unsurprisingly, food stores performed well in March and more people than ever started to buy online.”
